Liverpool convincingly got the better of Barnsley 4-1 in the end in the FA Cup, but they didn't have it all their own way at Anfield.
Indeed, with barely 30 seconds on the clock, the travelling Tykes hit the post with a header, while a penalty claim was also waved away to the dismay of Conor Hourihane's men, when the scoreline only read 2-1 in Arne Slot's side's favour.
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Unfortunately for the travelling side, Liverpool's class would eventually be evident when both Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike put the game beyond doubt late on with two strikes, as the Reds now face Brighton & Hove Albion in the next round of the esteemed competition.
While several players on the ropes this season put in much-improved displays, as the likes of Alexis Mac Allister collected two assists, other first-teamers notably underperformed against their lowly opposition, with Federico Chiesa guilty of a poor display on a rare start.
Chiesa's poor performance vs Barnsley
Chiesa has stood out when irregularly used in the Premier League this season, with two goals and one assist coming his way, despite only one league start being handed to him.
The expectation, therefore, would have been that the Italian attacker would put in a blistering showing against lower league opposition in the form of Barnsley, knowing that he had been gifted a rare starting chance, but it was far from a lively showing from the number 14.
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Chiesa put in a forgettable performance throughout, with the £150k-per-week winger failing to strike much fear into the League One defenders trying to mark him, failing to complete one successful dribble all match long.
Moreover, the ex-Juventus star would fail to float in a single accurate cross from three attempts, alongside further registering zero shots on target at a shaky Barnsley goal.
As one content creator put it, Chiesa's overall display was "genuinely awful", as Slot put the forward out of his misery by subbing him off on the 60th minute mark.
Chiesa's replacement in Ekitike would wrap up Liverpool's progression with this simple finish right at the death, with it looking increasingly more likely by the day that the 5-foot-9 forward will be departing Anfield for good in the near future.
He isn't the only experienced face in the Liverpool camp who will be wary about their short-term standing in Slot's XI, though, as one consistently underwhelming first-team presence struggled again versus the visitors from Yorkshire.
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Not just Chiesa: Time for 5/10 Liverpool star to be ditched
Liverpool were, at times, guilty of being slightly arrogant against their EFL opponents.
The worst case of this was when Dominik Szoboszlai tried a comically bad flick just yards from his own goal, only for Adam Phillips to intercept and smash an effort past Giorgi Mamardashvili. Thankfully, to spare his blushes, the Hungarian did delightfully stroke home the opener.
Andrew Robertson didn't have a moment of magic to fall back on to justify his otherwise flat performance, though, with the Scotsman managing to create very little from the left-back spot, despite amassing a hefty 108 touches of the ball.
With just one accurate cross next to his name from eight attempts, too, it's looking as if the end of the number 26's illustrious career at Anfield is edging ever closer, with his Premier League title-winning best far behind now, as another player stuck on the periphery on Merseyside, much like Chiesa.
Robertson's performance in numbers
Stat
Minutes played
Goals scored
Assists
Touches
Accurate passes
Key passes
Accurate crosses
Possession lost
Successful dribbles
Tackles won
Total duels won
Stats by Sofascore
He did very little to show Slot why he is deserving of a first-team spot again, with only four league starts heading his way this season, as Robertson also haphazardly gave away possession 17 times against Hourihane's gutsy visitors.
On top of that, he only won 50% of his duels on the night, leading to Liverpool World journalist Will Rooney handing the Glasgow-born defender a low 5/10 post-match rating.
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With his contract up this coming summer, it does feel as if we are watching the end of Robertson now at Anfield, with the 31-year-old a shadow of the attack-minded full-back that has 68 assists next to his name during the best years of his long-standing Liverpool career.
Both Robertson and Chiesa could be shoved to the exit door shortly, with their unmemorable performances against Barnsley, thankfully, not causing Liverpool to completely derail, as FA Cup glory at Wembley still potentially awaits.
Former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane Related
[Liverpool pushing hard to sign £35m "monster" in amazing Sadio Mane repeat](https://www.footballfancast.com/liverpool-pushing-to-sign-marc-guehi-shades-of-sadio-mane/ "Liverpool pushing hard to sign £35m "monster" in amazing Sadio Mane repeat")
Liverpool could pick up their next Sadio Mane if they successfully win this long sought after target.